The Program

As President Duterte aims to lift more Filipinos out of poverty and transform the Philippines into an upper middle-income country, attention now turns to firming up the foundations of our newfound growth and ensuring they hold up well as we pursue a higher trajectory of economic expansion. To sustain its standing as Asia’s Rising Star, the Philippines has to catch up in its infrastructure build-up and consolidate domestic sources of growth, foremost of which is a vibrant consumer sector. The forum aims to look at where we are in terms of future-proofing these sources of growth.

Laying the ground for the Philippines’ huge infrastructure build-up requires that the government sustain recent macroeconomic gains, which include above-trend growth, low inflation, a stable exchange rate, ample fiscal elbowroom and a strong external payments position.

This overview session aims to scan the evolving landscape brought about by a combination of a tightening Fed, the “retreat from multilateralism,” and sluggish and uneven global growth -- and how all of these will impact on the domestic economy and the prospects for priming it.

Ernesto M. Pernia

Secretary

Socio-Economic Planning

Diwa C. Guinigundo

Deputy Governor

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas

Richard S. Bolt

Country Director

Asian Development Bank

Moderator: Arnold Tenorio

BusinessWorld Research Head

SESSION 2

Financing the Build-up

11:00am - 12:00nn

The government’s plan to hike its infrastructure budget to more than 5% of GDP was made flesh with the passage of the 2017 National Budget. But how the government intends to finance this build-up remains to be seen, with the Comprehensive Tax Reform Package yet to go through the Congressional gauntlet. Assuming the tax bill survives, can the government actually spend the money as planned and on time?

This session aims to discuss the funding options for implementing the government’s infrastructure build-up, public-private partnerships and the Comprehensive Tax Reform Package. The discussion also covers implementation issues such as red tape and the absorption capacity of the bureaucracy, what with a record number of projects in the pipeline.

Benjamin E. Diokno

Secretary

Department of Budget and Management

Francisco C. Sebastian

Vice-Chairman

GT Capital Holdings, Inc

Oliver Y. Tan

CFO

Megawide Construction Corporation

Moderator: Jeremy Gatdula

BusinessWorld Columnist

NETWORKING LUNCH

12:00nn – 1:00pm

SESSION 3

Improving Turnaround Time

1:00pm – 2:15pm

Congestion has been a constant complaint ever since the Philippine economy began growing above-trend -- from delays in flights and shipments to heavy road traffic and inadequate ports and similar facilities.

This session aims to discuss the state of the transport sector, including road, air, shipping and the regulatory establishment. The discussion also covers the fate of the Traffic Crisis Act and its chances of decongesting Philippine streets, as well as the prospects for boosting inter-island shipping after the repeal of the Cabotage Law.

The Philippines nearly escaped a nationwide power crisis a few years ago, as new capacity trickled in. But Mindanao and certain areas of the Visayas still don’t enjoy ample electricity, especially during the dry months. As the Philippines continues to grow above-trend, and as Pres. Duterte plans to spread economic expansion evenly across the country, there is need for a more efficient delivery of power.

This session aims to discuss the challenges of providing sufficient and cheap power throughout a country marked by uneven economic growth and market access.

John Eric T. Francia

President & CEO

AC Energy Holdings, Inc.

Antonio R. Moraza

President & COO

Aboitiz Power Corporation

Ramoncito S. Fernandez

President & CEO

Maynilad Water Services, Inc.

Moderator: Arnold Tenorio

BusinessWorld Research Head

SESSION 5

Preparing for the Middle-class Consumer

3:45pm-4:45pm

The Duterte administration is angling to transform the Philippine economy from lower middle-income to upper middle-income by the end of its term. As affluence and enlightened consumerism spread, expect Filipinos to become more demanding, if not more discriminating in their tastes.

This concluding session aims to discuss the shifting consumer landscape and how companies are coping with the rise in incomes and the greater segmentation of the market. The discussion covers how companies balance use of Big Data with intuition.